Active journeys – especially those by bicycle – help reduce the number of days of sick leave, according to a Finnish study.
- An active journey, that is to say that requires physical effort, can reduce the number of days of illness as well as the risk of long absences for illness.
- Bike trips were associated with a lower risk of absence for illness.
- For researchers, their study provides an additional reason to encourage active travel to go to work.
To stay healthy, favor travel by bicycle. A study by the Finnish Institute for Occupational Health and the University of Eastern Finland shows that journeys involved in physical activity – such as bicycle – to go to the office, help reduce the number of days of leave disease and decrease the risk of long -term disease absences.
Work: fewer sickness stops thanks to the bicycle
For this study published in the journal Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science In Sportsthe researchers examined the movement habits of municipal employees. Their risks of absenteeism for illness have also been assessed, according to if they came to work on foot, by bike, by car or by public transport.
The data collected revealed that the most active employees roam more than 30 km per week with an average of 61 km weekly. The average round trip for work in this group was 9.4 km, and the journey was more often made by bicycle than on foot. In addition, the higher the distance traveled on the move, the lower the risk of absenteeism due to illness.
In detail, compared to passive commuters, the most active employees displayed a risk of 8 to 18 % lower of absence days for illness and long stops (at least ten days). These employees had 4.5 days of absence for less illness per person-person compared to the least active.
Physical activity: you must promote cycling travel
For researchers, their work highlights the benefits of regular bicycle trips. “Knowing that only half of the adult population does exercise in accordance with recommendations, traveling on foot or by bicycle can be a useful means of increasing the practice of healthcare exercises”notes Jenni Ervasti, chief researcher at the Finnish Institute for Occupational Health.
Then she adds to the press release of his establishment: “The results of the study provide additional reasons for encouraging and investing in an active travel style, and in particular in bicycle travel.”
